| The allegory of the cave is a story from the | | | | Assume, for sake of argument, that Plato is |
| book 'the republic' written by Plato, in it consists | | | | correct. How can the study of philosophy help |
| of two characters the Socrates who is a | | | | remedy this situation? |
| philosopher and his young follower named Glaucon. | | | | Assuming Plato is correct is assuming that to |
| He explains to him that human beings are ignorant | | | | attain the status of being able to see the truth, |
| with the knowledge of knowing only what they | | | | you have to be able to see past the shadows on |
| have been told, and in the quest to know the | | | | the wall and realize that you can turn your head |
| truth, when faced with a little challenge they back | | | | to the minds reality and see that there is more to |
| out, in the sense that they go back to their | | | | the truth of being then what you can physically |
| ignorance. The Allegory of the Cave can be | | | | see with your own two eyes. In other words the |
| interpreted in many ways; one way is to make a | | | | study of philosophical means enabling our minds to |
| comparison between the story and the way of | | | | see the truth about reality. Also, if Plato is |
| thinking by individuals in a closed society. Socrates | | | | correct, the soul of man inherently contains |
| states that the cave is a world many of us would | | | | knowledge of good but can only perceive this in |
| like to see, but are not really how the world is. It | | | | degrees of experience until the highest level of |
| is almost like the movie "The Matrix", where Neo, | | | | knowledge is attained. Does it have mathematical |
| the main character is to discover that the world | | | | meaning, explain a vision of the whole world, or is |
| he lives in is not the real world, but a world | | | | it just a comparison to the field of social work? I |
| generated by machines and computers. Only in | | | | personally feel that "The Allegory of the |
| Socrates' allegory, the world is not created by | | | | Cave¨ is a great explanation of how people in |
| computers, but by individual minds. Socrates | | | | the world live. People are just like the men |
| wants Glaucon to be a wiser, better-educated | | | | chained inside the cave, people only know and |
| man, who will later become a ruler of the State. | | | | believe what he or she might have seen. |
| He wants him to know not only the right, but also | | | | Well religion has to do with the study of the |
| experience the wrong, because only a man, who | | | | nature of religion and religious beliefs. During the |
| knows the bad, can truly understand and | | | | life time of Plato he said wonder was the |
| appreciate the good. Socrates does this by telling | | | | beginning of philosophy and religious philosophy |
| him a story, to let him better understand the | | | | came as a result of wonder. It was also |
| principles of life. | | | | contemplated through thoughts in which the things |
| He illustrated what he meant by an example he | | | | of time participate. Before the theory of the |
| gave saying the prisoners in a cave from their | | | | allegory of the cave, Plato said there is something |
| childhood whose limbs and heads have been | | | | above called "essential form of good". Plato had |
| chained, will see their shadows reflected by a ray | | | | many ideas on how one's mind, body, and spirit |
| of light from an opening as other people and | | | | came together to perform actions and thoughts. |
| when they hear the echo of their voices, they | | | | One important idea he broke down, was the |
| think it is the people they see talking. And if one | | | | conception of the soul in "Allegory of the Cave". |
| of them is released, when he realizes that all he | | | | He broke this idea into three different parts and |
| saw was an illusion he will definitely take what he | | | | each of these parts played a role in the feelings |
| has believed in since childhood until he is forcibly | | | | of man. These parts were referred to as the sun, |
| dragged on to see the real thing then he'll come | | | | the line, and the cave. |
| up with certain theories. And a personal | | | | The sun symbolized the Form of the Good; the |
| understanding of his illustration is him using the | | | | ultimate object of knowledge, according to Plato. |
| cave as the world, and the shadows cast on the | | | | The prisoners in the cave looked at nothing but |
| wall are the particular things of the world. The fire | | | | shadows on a wall from the statues which was |
| in the cave is the sun. Outside the cave is the | | | | made to make them believe that the shadows |
| world of ideas. The prisoners who can only see | | | | are the most real things that are in the world. In |
| shadows are non-philosophers who can only know | | | | order to reach the Form of the Good, you must |
| the individual things of the world which are only | | | | be able to see what's real, resulting in a prisoner's |
| shadows of the essential things. The prisoner who | | | | release to the outside world. |
| escapes and goes outside the world is a | | | | The prisoner released is now able to look at the |
| philosopher who rises above this world of senses | | | | fire and the statues, but is in disbelief that the |
| and goes into the intelligible world, the ideal world. | | | | shadows are not the most real things in the world. |
| The chains on the prisoners are passions, | | | | This is where the line comes in. The line |
| prejudices, and sophistries. | | | | represents the four stages of cognitive activity |
| The metaphysics which deals with the essence of | | | | that a human being is capable of doing. The |
| being and the study of ultimate reality is explained | | | | prisoner now believes that the fire and the |
| with the idea of the released prisoner seeing what | | | | statues are the most real things in the world. |
| is reality deals with the metaphysics and also | | | | After the prisoner is dragged into the outside |
| where he is able to discover the sunlight and | | | | world, he sees real objects. The cave illustrates |
| other earthly bodies was the metaphysical | | | | the effects that education has on a human being. |
| knowledge of plat the writer and Socrates the | | | | The prisoner doesn't have to imagine what real |
| story teller. We are all prisoners watching | | | | things are because he now knows what the most |
| shadows in a cave this metaphor contains a | | | | real things in the outside world are. He sees real |
| puzzle. The specific platonic form of the | | | | trees, real flowers, and even the sun, which he |
| philosophical predicament of attempting to say | | | | learns is the cause of the real objects being seen. |
| that if we are prisoners in the cave watching | | | | The Allegory of the Cave is a process of the |
| shadows, how could we have known that this is | | | | growing mind. We grow from imagination, to |
| the case? If we only have experience of the | | | | belief, to forms, and finally, we grow to |
| shadow world, how can we come to see how it | | | | understanding. This is the closest thing in Plato to |
| really is? They would think the things they see on | | | | traditional conceptions of God. |
| the wall (the shadows) were real; they would | | | | Plato's aim in the Republic is to describe what is |
| know nothing of the real causes of the shadows. | | | | necessary for us to achieve this reflective |
| So when the prisoners talk, what are they talking | | | | understanding. But even without it, it remains true |
| about? If an object (a book let us say) is carried | | | | that our very ability to think and to speak |
| past behind them, and it casts a shadow on the | | | | depends on the Forms. For the terms of the |
| wall, and a prisoner says "I see a book," what is | | | | language we use get their meaning by "naming" |
| he talking about? He thinks he is talking about a | | | | the Forms that the objects we perceive |
| book, but he is really talking about a shadow. But | | | | participate in. The prisoners may learn what a |
| he uses the word "book." What does that refer | | | | book is by their experience with shadows of |
| to? Plato gives his answer at line (515b2). The | | | | books. But they would be mistaken if they |
| text here has puzzled many editors, and it has | | | | thought that the word "book" refers to something |
| been frequently emended. The translation in | | | | that any of them has ever seen. Likewise, we |
| Gruber/Reeve gets the point correctly: | | | | may acquire concepts by our perceptual |
| "And if they could talk to one another, don't you | | | | experience of physical objects. But we would be |
| think they'd suppose that the names they used | | | | mistaken if we thought that the concepts that |
| applied to the things they see passing before | | | | we grasp were on the same level as the things |
| them?" | | | | we perceive. This hereby explains the saying of |
| Plato's point is that the prisoners would be | | | | man's nature seeing is believing as Plato believes |
| mistaken for they would be taking the terms in | | | | that what you see is inferior to what you believe |
| their language to refer to the shadows that pass | | | | which explains the fact that the eternal holds |
| before their eyes, rather than (as is correct, in | | | | more hope for the non philosophers than the |
| Plato's view) to the real things that cast the | | | | physical... |
| shadows. If a prisoner says "That's a book" he | | | | Politics' focus is on one social institution- the state |
| thinks that the word "book" refers to the very | | | | and seeks to determine its justification, ethical |
| thing he is looking at. But he would be wrong. He's | | | | composition, and organization. And also who should |
| only looking at a shadow. The real referent of the | | | | rule, and how best to rule. In the allegory of the |
| word "book" he cannot see. To see it, he would | | | | cave, I really don't see any relations to ruling |
| have to turn his head around. Plato's point is that | | | | except that; the people who chain these prisoners |
| the general terms of our language are not | | | | should let them go so that they can be able to |
| "names" of the physical objects that we can see. | | | | discover the truth. That is the people of this |
| They are actually names of things that we cannot | | | | world should set free and go in search of the |
| see, things that we can only grasp with the mind. | | | | truth they should become philosophers and be no |
| But if we are prisoners of a bench watching | | | | more ignorant of reality and the truth. Plato is of |
| shadows we take for reality, Plato is also a | | | | the view that non-philosophers should have no |
| prisoner and finds himself watching shadows, so | | | | place in government as they are still in shadows |
| Plato's description of the cave is just another | | | | and have no knowledge of the light. He believes |
| shadow, and if it is a shadow, it cannot also be a | | | | that those who should be in power are people in |
| true description of how things are. And if it is not | | | | experience. A philosopher king should be the one |
| a true description of how things are then, then | | | | to rule. He believed that the unlearned should not |
| Plato's theory of things not being in true physical is | | | | have any business in government whatsoever as |
| not the true description as he himself watches | | | | they will only act on impulse and not with |
| shadows too. So that could initiate that there is no | | | | knowledge. He believed that those who are to |
| truth. | | | | govern must visit the dark after the light so that |
| The epistemology questions the certainty of | | | | they can be ten times better than those in the |
| knowledge, that is whether knowledge is possible | | | | dark. He says that; |
| or not. It deals with such issues as sources, | | | | "And you will know what the several images are, |
| scope, validity and limits of knowledge. Well in the | | | | and what they represent, because you have seen |
| allegory of the cave, we see that the prisoners | | | | the beautiful and just and good in their truth. And |
| acquired their knowledge through what they saw, | | | | thus our State which is also yours will be a reality, |
| therefore we could tell that it was actually not | | | | and not a dream only, and will be administered in |
| real that it was all illusions; hence we say their | | | | a spirit unlike that of other States, in which men |
| knowledge wasn't valid. Also their knowledge was | | | | fight with one another about shadows only and |
| limited in the sense that all they knew was what | | | | are distracted in the struggle for power, which in |
| they had seen in the cage they had not been able | | | | their eyes is a great good. Whereas the truth is |
| to explore more in other to acquire a quality wide | | | | that the State in which the rulers are most |
| and valid knowledge. Suppose they were aware | | | | reluctant to govern is always the best and most |
| of the outside world beyond the cave, they would | | | | quietly governed, and the State in which they are |
| have sort or search out ways out of the cave as | | | | most eager, the worst." |
| man's curiosity and search for knowledge is in his | | | | He believed that the only life which looks down |
| nature and cannot be denied. However, that | | | | upon the life of political ambition is that of true |
| search for knowledge was not possible as the | | | | philosophy and that those who govern ought not |
| cave was seen as the only home in existence and | | | | to be lovers of the task for, if they are, there will |
| thereby they used their physical sense as the | | | | be rival lovers, and they will fight. He believed that |
| source of their knowledge. Plato maintains that | | | | those whom they should have as leaders should |
| true knowledge, is not acquired through sense | | | | be the men who are wisest about affairs of |
| perception because true knowledge is universal, | | | | State, and by whom the State is best |
| objective and infallible. Hence the object of | | | | administered, and who at the same time have |
| knowledge must be stable. | | | | other honors and another and a better life than |
| Plato believes that most people live in mental | | | | that of politics. Plato was an idealist who believed |
| caves of ignorance and never perceive the truth. | | | | in an ideal state. |